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Sport & Adventure
Touring Equipment
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Dual-Sport and Adventure touring.
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South Africa!!
Space Available!
October 13th- 30th, 2006
Space Available!
South Africa has too much to offer for motorcyclists. Coming from Alaska, I thought I knew large spaces, but found that a month was not enough time to explore just part of the country! We flew into Cape Town thinking we would criss-cross South Africa. However, after 21 days of riding, we only managed to go as far east at Port Elizabeth, and as far north as Vanrhynsdorp.
Elephants, penguins, elegant vineyards, white sandy beaches, sparsely populated deserts and generous hospitality - it had it all! I recommend that you consider riding there...I know that I will be back!
...now the pics...
We picked up the Kawasaki KLR 650s and the Suzuki DR 650 from Jurgen the German, who owns Le Cap Motorcycle Hire in Cape Town. Left to right: Simon, from London, me and Colin, a Scot, who is living and working in London. We were asked: "What are an Englishman, an American and a Scotsman doing traveling around South Africa?" Maybe it was a start to a bad joke?
The bikes were in decent condition, and performed fine for the two weeks we rented them. We did, however, meet some nails along the way, and were glad that we brought the right tools along!
Simon looks along the coast south of Cape Town. The rugged cliffs were a spectacular backdrop to marvelously twisty paved roads.
We stopped to look at Baboons feeding off the side of the road at Cape of Good Hope National Park. We were told that Baboons were not to be messed with by the locals. (Take if from them, as they have to deal with elephants, poisonous snakes and great white sharks!!) We continued to see them along the road the entire time of the trip.
Mom and little one.
Penguins generally hunt in packs and are ferocious fighters when cornered.
On our way to Cape Agulhas we rode through arid farmland. Many of the roads are dirt, so dualsport bikes allowed us the freedom to explore just about anywhere.
We came across one of the last man-powered ferries in the country. The propulsion system consisted of 8 men with 3-foot chains hooked to waist belts. They worked as a gang spinning the chain around the main ferry cable, pulling it tight and walking the length of the ferry pulling their burden. They unhitched the chain with a well-practiced flick. Repeat. Only in Africa!
More open country. It seemed that the climate changed constantly. As soon as you got used to riding in the arid farmland, you were climbing a mountain amongst a lush stand of pine trees. The weather also changed considerably as we rode. Often times, it would be too hot, followed by too cold. Wind was the most discomforting factor, and seemed to pick up in the afternoons. Prepare for everything before you go.
Simon sits down to fully comprehend the large, edible flightless birds in front of him.
Interesting side note: the eyeball of the Ostrich is larger than its brain.
Couldn't help but bring the Alaskan flag along. Simon was fond of saying that I was as far from South Africa as you can go, without going into space.
Cape Agulhas: Most southern point of Africa. Official start and end to both the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. "Agulha" is the Portuguese word for "needle." They named this cape for the way the needles on their compasses would point due north from here.
Hermanus: a great point to watch whales wallowing close to the shore.
This was a sign I am not used to seeing!! We met a guy later this day that told us a story about when he came around a corner near here with his BMW 1150 GS Adventure, and almost ran into the bottom of one!
Addo Elephant Park. In these times, elephant don't run free throughout South Africa, so we went to see some of these amazing creatures at this special reserve.
We took a trip thorough the "Baviaanskloof." It is a special reserve named after a local species of monkey. Throughout this day, there was no traffic and few habitable dwellings. Animals were everywhere. At one point, I came around a corner and saw various kinds of antelope and a large family of Baboons...all in the road! There were over 20 water crossing of this type along the way. The dirt road was in excellent condition, with several winding pass sections with incredible views.
Simon is trying to communicate with one of the locals.
Mossel Bay
South Africa!!
Space Available!
October 13th- 30th, 2006
Space Available!
One of four flat tires! I was happy that I brought a StopnGo tire repair kit. It saved us!
Frightening Local: Red Roman Spider, out hunting at night.
Roadblock!
Winding roads like this one are everywhere!!
The Great Karoo: The last week, I rented a BMW F 650 Dakar, and rode some very open country north of Cape Town. Traffic was almost zero, and the desert views were awesome!
I recommend to anyone: Ride South Africa. It is safe, beautiful and full of surprises!
Motorcycle Rental Companies out of Cape Town:
Le Cap Motorcycle Hire - offers Kawasaki KLR 650, Suzuki DR 650, some BMWs and Banghiras
MotoBerlin Offers wide range of BMW motorcycle in good condition.
South African Motorcycle Tours - Offers BMW motorcycles for rent or tours.
Harley-Davidson Cape Town - Offers late model HD's for rent
Also, buy the local road Map called Redband. It shows almost everything, and was the best detailed map we came across.
South Africa!!
Space Available!
October 13th- 30th, 2006
Space Available!
Touring Rallye Racing Technology
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